Cameron Heyward thought he would have a Super Bowl ring by now. At worst, an appearance.
After all, when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2011 draft, the former Ohio State defensive lineman went to a team a few months removed from playing in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, the third time in six seasons the franchise had played on the NFL’s grandest stage.
Nearly a decade later, Heyward is a grizzled veteran who is 31 years old with four Pro Bowls and a couple All-Pro selections, but he still has no ring to slip on his finger.
“I’m towards the end rather than the beginning,” Heyward said. “I’m not saying I’m retiring next year, but I’m in a situation where I only have a couple more cracks at it. You look at it when I first got here — we went to the playoffs and lost to Denver. You think we’re going to at least make the playoffs every time.
“It’s been a battle, and it hasn’t gone what way.”
Heyward is one of the few Steelers players left from when the franchise missed the playoffs in the 2012-13 seasons and repeated that two-year absence in 2018-19. The Steelers have made the postseason five times since their loss to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, but have returned to the AFC championship game just once. It’s a run the Steelers would like to end this season as they prepare to face the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round Sunday at Heinz Field.
For Heyward, he hasn’t tasted a postseason victory since 2015 when the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals in that bizarre finish at Paul Brown Stadium. Heyward was on injured reserve the next season when the Steelers won two playoff games before losing to the New England Patriots in the conference title game.
“For me, there aren’t a lot of opportunities left, and I really have to take advantage of it,” he said. “It’s a privilege to make it to the playoffs. Look at the last two seasons. I thought we had really good teams, but we didn’t make it. I’m going to relish this.”
He’s not alone. Ben Roethlisberger, entering the postseason two months before his 39th birthday, is the only Steelers player with any Super Bowl experience. Center Maurkice Pouncey was a rookie in 2010 but missed the Super Bowl because of an ankle injury.
“I think every player should approach this playoff game like it could be their last playoff game ever,” Roethlisberger said. “We’ve used examples of players and coaches who have been in this league for a long time that have never been in the postseason, never been to a Super Bowl.
“I think it’s prudent for every player to take that mindset and approach. I know I am because nothing is guaranteed in this game.”
Roethlisberger’s 21 games of playoff experience are 14 more than anyone else on the 53-man roster. Roethlisberger will take a 13-8 postseason record into Sunday night’s game, and his start will move him past his idol, John Elway. The only quarterbacks to start more postseason games are Joe Montana (23), Brett Favre (24), Peyton Manning (27) and Tom Brady (41).
Roethlisberger could move into third place on the all-time list if he can guide the Steelers to Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla.
At least twice in recent weeks, Roethlisberger has gathered the Steelers offensive players to remind them of the stakes that await them.
“There are a lot of guys that don’t understand what it’s about,” Roethlisberger said. “I get it. When I was a young guy, people tried to explain to me to take advantage of this. You’re thinking, ‘I’m young, I’ll get back.’ It’s not guaranteed. I think all of the veteran guys as we are winding down our careers, we understand we don’t know what is next or if there is going to be a next for some guys.”
The Steelers are almost evenly split in terms of players with playoff experience and those without. There are 19 players on the 53-man roster who were around three years ago when the Steelers were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 45-42, at home in the wild-card round. Seven players have playoff experience with other teams, leaving 27 without any.
“Older players are leading the charge in this,” said All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who will be making his playoff debut Sunday. “They’ve been around for a while. They are telling us that details are important. We’ve got to do everything we’ve been doing. Don’t think about the offseason or getting your body right. You’re going to regret not giving 110 (%) right now (when it gets to) the offseason.”
Cornerback Joe Haden, who entered the NFL in 2010, has just one game of postseason experience — that loss to Jacksonville. His chance of getting to play in a second playoff game will depend on whether the Steelers beat the Browns, his former team. Haden remains on the reserve/covid-19 list and won’t play Sunday.
“I know he really wanted to be a part of this game,” Heyward said. “I told him our goal is to get him back for the divisional round. That is up to us taking care of our business.”
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who will be appearing in his second playoff game, said Heyward sent every Steelers player a chart that listed the winnings for each playoff round. Each Steelers player could earn as little as $33,000 for competing in the wild-card round to as much as $255,000 if they win the Super Bowl ($190,000 if they lose).
“I think that was pretty cool to show what we are playing for,” Smith-Schuster said. “That amount of money … can go a long way.”
While the playoff earnings can provide a sweet bonus for a young player on his initial four-year contract or one playing on a year-to-year deal, it isn’t the prime motivating factor for veterans.
Guard David DeCastro, who turns 31 on Monday, is in a similar stage of his career as Heyward and Pouncey. He joined the Steelers in 2012 and didn’t appear in the postseason until his third season.
“I’ve made some good money. I’ve had a lot of fun and made some great friends. The only thing I have left is the Super Bowl,” DeCastro said. “The experience of what it would be like for the team, the city, the fans, that would be amazing to get that done. I’d love to see it, I really would love to be a part of it.”
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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